The present application relates generally to passive magnetic components for high-current applications, and more specifically to filter inductors for high-current applications such as power supply modules that need to satisfy requirements of compactness, high efficiency, high power density, ease of manufacture, and reduced cost.
Power supply modules such as direct current (DC)-to-DC power supply modules and others generally employ one or more filter inductors. A conventional filter inductor typically includes a magnetic core, and a coil of conductive wire wrapped around the magnetic core. Employing a magnetic core with a high permeability, as well as increasing the number of turns of the coil of conductive wire around the magnetic core, can increase an inductance of the filter inductor. Such a filter inductor can be employed in a DC-to-DC power supply module, possibly in conjunction with a filter capacitor, for removing fluctuations such as residual hums (e.g., mains hums) from a DC output.